Newton South Principal Takes Job In Charlestown After 11 Years

NEWTON, MA — Newton South High School Principal Joel Stembridge is leaving his post to take a position as principal of Charlestown High School in Boston next year, he announced in a letter home this week to families.

“It is a strange time to leave, without having the opportunity to say goodbye, in-person, to students and to their families, so many of whom I had the good fortune to get to know over the past 11 years,” he said.

According to his letter, he is not leaving right away.

"I remain fully dedicated to leading South, albeit virtually, and supporting our students, faculty, and families for the remainder of the school year," he said.

It's not clear what prompted the move.

Superintendent David Fleishman said the district would hire an interim principal for the 2020-2021 academic year. So far the district has not posted any job description for the role. There are job postings looking for assistant principals at the Angier and at Brown Middle School.

“It is a challenge to do a search in May under any circumstances, let alone during a pandemic,” said Fleishman in his letter that indicated it would be helpful for candidates to be familiar with Newton. “Our plan is to get an early start on the principal search next year, providing plenty of time for an inclusive process.”

Stembridge earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago, his master’s degree in teaching from the Willamette University in Oregon. He started his career teaching math and drama in Oregon, and then went on to teach math and science at Barnstable Middle School in Hyannis for two years. Stembridge then went to Boston University for administrative training, and had an administrative internship at Brookline High School before working for four years as assistant principal at Scituate High School in Scituate. He then worked as headmaster at the John D. O’Bryant School of Math & Science in Boston for five years before taking the helm of Newton South High School in 2009.

Stembridge and his family live in West Roxbury. He has a son that graduated from Newton South in 2019.

Stembridge will replace the school's headmaster William Thomas, who has lead the school for the past 12 years. Thomas is credited with helping turn the school around. Many of the school’s 900 students are considered economically disadvantaged. Charlestown High is ranked Number 13,345 out of 17,792 in the US and World Report National Rankings. It is listed as 307 out of 345 high schools in the state.

Here is Stembridge's letter to the community:

Dear NSHS,
This afternoon I let the wonderful NSHS faculty and staff know that I have accepted the Boston Public School’s offer to be the principal of Charlestown High School next year.

It has been an honor to serve the families and students in Newton. I will take with me many fond memories of the NSHS community, both as an educator and a parent, and will greatly miss the creativity, energy, and passion that the NSHS students, faculty, and community shared with me over the past eleven years.

I will forever cherish memories of classroom visits, performances, athletic competitions, and conversations. It has especially been a privilege to champion and celebrate so many NSHS students from entering ninth graders through graduation and beyond.

It is a strange time to leave, without having the opportunity to say good-bye, in-person, to students and to their families, so many of whom I had the good fortune to get to know over the past eleven years.

I expect we will connect virtually over the course of the next few weeks as there is much work to be done, including celebrating and honoring our senior class.

I remain fully dedicated to leading South, albeit virtually, and supporting our students, faculty, and families for the remainder of the school year.

Best regards,
Joel Stembridge Principal, Newton South High School

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).Have a press release you'd like posted on the Newton Patch? Here's how to post a press release, opinion piece.